Lesson Number Eight
by Kirabaros
Summary: It's not so much as a lesson but rather a rule of thumb but it is an important one especially if you're a hunter. Featuring multiple timesets. See how one lesson becomes an ironclad rule in the lives of the Winchesters.


**Lesson Number Eight**

The night was young and the moon was full. It was the usual for a lot of supernatural things like omens and curses of creatures. John Winchester peered up at the night sky as he leaned against the Impala waiting. This hunt was one step closer to finding the thing that killed Mary and his contact agreed to go on the hunt with him. He held his shotgun with a hint of impatience as he looked at his watch.

Finally a vehicle pulled up and out she got. John said, "You're late."

"On time. Besides I had to pick up something," Angela replied as she went to the trunk. Opening it, she pulled out a body that was bound in rope and was wearing some strange amulet. "This one is going to help us get in." She tucked the amulet in the shirt. "Can't have him smoking out and he knows that I won't hesitate to kill him don't ya Cary?"

The demon she had been holding gave a scowl before saying, "You're making a big mistake."

Angela leaned in close to whisper something that John couldn't hear but he could tell that it scared the crap out of the demon. Mary's angel never said much about herself and from the times that she had worked with him, he knew she was a very good hunter. John asked, "Any problems?"

"None," she replied.

It was much later that they had a problem. The whole thing was a set up and they were tied together. John was struggling, trying to get the ropes undone while Angela was sitting as if she were going to enjoy a cup of tea. The demons were arguing over what to do. John overheard a few words like 'leave the favorite alone' and 'we can't kill them' and wondered what it had meant. He instead focused on getting free. "Damn these ropes are thick."

John then heard the sound of a switchblade. He twisted around to try and see what was going on. It wasn't until the ropes fell away that he was able to get up and see that Mary's angel was holding a knife and was cutting the last of the ropes away. John had no idea how she managed to get to it since the demons had tied them up pretty tight. She then looked up at him and said with a joking smile, "Lesson number eight or rather rule number eight is always carry a knife. How and where, it's up to the imagination."

John couldn't help but chuckle as they took their places to launch an ambush. This hunt had been a bust to some degree. They still had her demon captive and a few small clues. They would catch up to the thing that killed Mary. Watching Mary's angel wield that switchblade, John made a mental note to get a knife that would fit in a place that few would think of where to look.

~0~0~

"Dammit! No way out except this window and the damn thing is stuck. I swear I'm gonna rip someone's lungs out!" Dean was pacing in an agitated state. After getting him and Sam free from their bonds, they had tried to escape from the insane religious nut who wanted them to 'repent' for their sins. They were caught and upon threatening to harm each other, they were thrown back in the basement. Dean was pissed since they couldn't get out and he and Sam had the job of stopping Lilith from breaking the sixty-six seals.

"Dean, calm down," Sam replied as he sat down on the overturned bucket that was down there. He absently rubbed the burn on his arm. It was stinging but there was nothing he could do about it except to cover it.

"Don't tell me to calm down Sam. I'm pissed with this guy. He's already tried making you repent Sam and hell who knows when he wants to make me repent," Dean replied as he paced around agitated at the whole thing and trying to work off a sore spot on his leg.

Before Sam could reply, the door opened to the basement. The religious nutcase was the most obvious shadow as he threw the body he had brought down the stairs with little ceremony. "That is the beginning of your repentance seed of the devil." The nutcase then closed and bolted the door.

"Yeah well try absolution for a change asshole."

Sam and Dean looked at the body that had been thrown in with them as she started to get up. Dean was still livid about the whole thing and said, "What do you think you are doing Angie getting yourself captured?"

Angela dusted herself off ignoring the fact that her ankle had gotten twisted on the way down and she was probably getting a bruise on her left thigh. She replied in her usual manner, "My intention to. Do you really think I was going to let some religious nut that has been the bane of the Centurion mess around with you two?"

Sam knew that was a rhetorical question and stopped Dean from going into a full on inquisition. "So you got yourself captured to rescue us. What's the plan?"

Angela pointed at the window, "That way."

"Nice try Angie. Thing is stuck." Dean scowled at her still thinking that she was being stupid.

"No problem." Angela then reached down and pulled something out of her boot. She made a motion with it and the blade flew out and locked. "Never go anywhere without it."

Sam asked, "How did you manage to keep that hidden?"

Angela stood on a crate to reach the window. She began working with the window. She replied, "Rule number eight: always carry a knife. How and where is up to the imagination."

Dean scoffed, "Really?"

"Your dad heeded my 'lesson'. I would have thought he taught you that one."

Before Dean could do anything, Sam held his brother back and said, "Dean he did mention that."

Angela chuckled as she finished jimmying the window open. She then heard an alarm. "Oh shit. Well I am guessing we have about five minutes to get out."

"I'm assuming you have a plan," Dean said. When she gave a look, he gave a slight shrug of acquiescence. He was more surprised when she fished out two other knives, switchblades, and tossed them to him and Sam.

~0~0~

Castiel looked at the thick rope that was holding the chandelier up as he looked at his nemesis. The omens had pointed here and now he was face to face with one that was once a brother. Acham the demon of Thursday stood looking at him with a mocking smile. "Castiel, I never thought that you would want to see me again and I see that you brought a friend. Cassy you spending too much time with humans now?"

"Not really."

Castiel looked at Bobby who was sitting in his wheelchair but giving a really good glare while holding a shotgun in his lap. He had asked Bobby for his help and the grizzled hunter agreed while his charges were out on another hunt that was, as the human phrase went, cakewalk. He looked back at the demon and replied, "Acham, I know you are the one that has been causing the omens. What does Lucifer want you to do?"

Acham laughed at the angel as the ring of holy fire surrounded him. Bobby muttered, "Nice going idjit. Why don't ya ask him where the devil is holed up while yer at it?"

It was a rhetorical question and Castiel knew it. He knew that the chandelier was pure iron and if he could get out of this ring of holy fire… "Acham."

"Cassy, you know by now how this is going to play out. Both the Winchesters accept their roles and battle each other, or the Malachi says yes to either and one brother has to battle her. Either way there will be a battle. This is merely gravy with you and me. We were friends once even though we were brothers…"

Castiel narrowed the intense blue eyes. He was not going to let anything happen to them. He made a slight motion towards the rope and hoped that Bobby understood. "Acham it doesn't have to be as it was written."

Bobby took the hint and subtly managed to get to where the rope was being held. He would have to cut it and padded down for a knife. He could shoot the darn thing but that might take a couple of shots and the demon would have moved. Suddenly something landed in his lap. It was a box cutter. That would work and immediately he started sawing the rope.

It was about twenty minutes later that Acham was dead and the holy fire extinguished that Bobby handed the box cutter back to Castiel. The angel said, "Always carry a knife. What a peculiar lesson."

"More like a rule," Bobby replied as he started rolling towards the exit. "In this job, you can never have too many knives or things that cut things."

Castiel looked at the box cutter and his angel sword. It was a peculiar rule since most humans didn't do the job that hunters like Bobby and the Winchesters did. "Does this apply to all humans?" He asked the question as he followed the grizzled hunter out of the building to the van.

"Nope," Bobby replied, "Just to people that don't do normal human things."

Castiel was confused. He would ask Dean later about the whole thing. "A hunter thing I guess."

"Ya got that right angel boy." Bobby then shifted and something appeared and it was uncomfortable. He fished in his pocket and found the knife he had been looking for. He held it up with an exasperated look on his face. Rule number eight was certainly one that was up for grabs in terms of interpretation but at least he had it.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Okay this diverts a little from my previous formats of the lesson family but still is a good one to follow. I know it is more of a rule than a lesson but considering the line of work the Winchesters are in... Besides I figured it would be fun to see snippits of time from John to the Boys and Bobby and Cas in their adventure. Enjoy and stay tuned for Lesson Number Nine.


End file.
